With GM’s continuing promotion of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car, other automakers look to be busy tinkering with their own electric vehicles beyond mainstream hybrid offerings. Consumers are no doubt looking to Toyota, the hybrid car leader, to again lead the way in offering plug-in electric vehicles, but they seem to have been slow to adopt such technology in lieu of their popular Hybrid Synergy Drive system.
Despite a rather conservative approach to its plug-in electric plans, Toyota now looks to be changing its tune and has committed to producing 500 Toyota Prius models with plug-in capabilities, which appeases Toyota Parts Santa Fe which hopes Toyota continues its leadership in ‘green’ innovation. The plug-in cars will be used for testing purposes before Toyota releases them to the public. These vehicles should become operational by the end of 2009.
In addition to widespread testing of plug-in electric vehicles later this year, Tustin Toyota Repair says Toyota has also made the commitment to offer plug-in hybrids to the public by 2012. As opposed to a more progressive plug-in electric vehicle, the plug-in hybrids could be based on the Prius, which continues to be in extremely high demand at one dealer that specializes in Toyota Car Loans Lexington thanks to its redesign for 2010. Additionally, Toyota plans to produce 20K to 30K plug-in hybrids, which will likely be capable of traversing between 10 and 20 miles on electric power alone.
With a solid partnership with electronics leader Panasonic that will yield lithium ion batteries, Toyota has ample resources to continue its reputation for green innovations. Unfortunately, Toyota is just one of many automakers that are betting big on the success of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The automaker’s reputation will likely be an advantage over the much-hyped Chevy Volt, but Toyota needs to keep producing eco-friendly hits if it hopes to retain its status as a leader in green technology.
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Information surrounding Toyota’s upcoming plug-in electric cars as always can be located here.
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